Customer Service Interview Questions and Answers 2024 Other

This is the part where you have to showcase yourself as an ideal candidate for the job. If the interviewer asks you, this means - they want to know what skill you possess. List all the reasons why you make a good customer care representative, in addition to highlighting your personal traits and achievements that make you stand out.

Before arriving for the interview, you must research well about the company. Look what they are hunting for, prepare a note of all your skills and present them in a story format. This is because a customer service representative must also be a great storyteller. Hence, this way, you can portray one of your skills.

You might think customer service is a job of a lone wolf - it's not. If you have already worked as a customer service representative, you must know how important teamwork is - the answer should be YES. Share your team stories and explain how you could accomplish specific jobs with the help of your team. By doing so, you can clearly show the interviewer how well you do with teams. As you know, customer service is sometimes about escalation. Hence, the interviewer needs to know that you possess the ideology of passing the issue on to someone who can deal with it.

Also, before appearing for the interview, research them and make a note of what's important to them. With the help of this question, they can assess if you can work independently or need supervision all the time.

This is a frequently asked interview question for call centers that offer services in customer support.

This is a particular question asked in every interview.

This means the interviewer wants to know what you're good at and what not. Hence, do not hesitate to talk about your struggles. But ensure you are working on them to improve them. Here's something you can talk about - pick out a few strengths that might have helped in your past jobs, such as empathy, understanding the situation's gravity, patience, active listening, and excellent communication skills. Demonstrate your strengths as your achievement story in your previous job role.

In addition to this, tell them your greatest weakness and how you are trying to improve. Show them you are aware of your flaws and working on it - this makes a great impression on them.

This usually helps the interviewer to understand your adaptability and versatility. Working as a customer service representative can be stressful and exhausting. Several calls will land on your IVR with different issues, which will be a simple job. Hence, this is the time to prove that you can handle customers with different problems. Tell them stories about your previous job when you handled several angry customers with different problems and how you kept your cool and solved them patiently.

As customer service jobs are quite demanding, you must understand what the interviewer wants. Give them that - and voila! You'll ace it. You can expect to come across Customer Service interview questions like this more often than others.

This is a ubiquitous customer service interview question asked of a fresher. As you do not have prior experience, sharing your own experience is better. This allows you to express your knowledge about the role even if you are new to the industry. While answering your question, maintain a flow and remember to add positive points.

Give examples of what the customer service representative did for you and what made that service stand out. You can tell them -

“I have booked a hotel in XYZ place, and the hotel booking was not confirmed. The representative immediately released the payment, and I was not allotted a room. Hence, this made me realize how excellent customer service can retain the customer, which is good for business.”

Change in this industry is inevitable because of constant improvement of the process and practices to help clients and customers in a highly accessible manner. Search for an overview of the best practices used by the organization - you’ll get this information on the company’s website.

Take a real-life story of how you dealt with sudden changes in your life and how you managed them. Keep it to the positive aspect - like what you learnt in the process and how it made you who you are now. Show them you possess the confidence to handle changes even under pressure.

“Moving to a new city was a drastic change in my life. When I moved to Jaipur, everything felt so alien to me. However, with time, the place grew on me. Though I faced certain challenges, those were great lessons in my life. I learnt how to cook.”

A must-know for anyone heading into a CSR interview, this is one of the most frequently asked Customer Service Representative interview questions.

This is one of the most common customer service interview questions. It shows how much you have learned about the company. Here the interviewer wants to know why you are a good candidate for the job. They also want to know specifics about your personality goals and qualifications. If the job description is short, always visit their website to learn more about them.

Ensure you do not give any generic answers. Make a list of your skills that matches the job description. Avoid talking about how you would be benefitted from the company. Instead, talk about how the company would benefit from your skills. Emphasize that you are qualified for the job. You can respond something like this, “Helping people brings joy to me. Also, I am qualified with communication skills, making me a good candidate for the job.”

Be natural while answering your question. When the interviewers are asking you this question they are trying to assess if you know precisely what set of skills are required for a customer service job. So try to show them your natural characteristics and how you can use those to deliver stellar customers. Here are some of the skills that you can showcase are: 

• Patience 
• Empathy 
• Knowledge about the service 
• Ability to work under pressure 
• Communicating at ease 
• Team player 

Here, the interviewer would want to assess your true personality, so if you are faking it then, it can be a red flag later. 

A common question in an interview for call center, don't miss this one. 

This question is usually asked to measure the candidate’s attitude and approach toward work. Employers always look for someone who is eager to learn and wants to grow. Hence, this question might determine if you are a good fit for the position. So, to answer this question, remember that you have applied for a customer service job requiring strong communication skills.

Do not lie to them, be yourself and speak the truth. If you lie, you will be caught as they might cross question you about what you have learnt. This will lower your reputation, and you’ll lose the opportunity to work with that company.

You can answer this by saying -

“I took a communication course last month on the XYZ platform, a writing course and a Soft Skills for corporate career growth certification course. I have learnt such amazing things as - writing in different tones and talking with emphasis. The amazing part was learning a few new words.”

This is also a commonly asked customer service interview question.

Interviewers want to know if you have really researched their company and what they do. This helps them understand and understand that you are really into this job. So, the key to acing this question is to research what they are working on and what their clients are. The interviewer already knows about the services and clients. Hence, they do not need a recap for the same. Their goal is to find an employee who is interested in the service. Share original and smart opinions about the services. You can take reference from their website’s “our mission” and product and services page.  

“Recently, I downloaded the beta version of your video editing software, which was great. I used it to edit my YouTube videos and Instagram reels – it works wonderfully. However, the software runs slow at times – but overall, I loved it.”

If you plan to dive into the ocean of the customer service industry, you must know what role empathy plays in the field. Among all other things, the interviewer will also look if you can empathize with the customer. This is a required trait because every customer who will call in for issues or difficulties they face while using your service will require empathy.

You can answer this customer service interview question by saying empathy is essential while talking to somebody in distress. You can start by

“Empathy is a powerful tool which helps understand the customer’s feelings, issues, and concerns. It can help strengthen the bond between the organization and the customer. Thus, enhancing the brand image. Empathy and proper resolution will make them use your service again.”

The need to work in the customer service industry varies for every individual. Some want to work in this industry to help people, while some are eager to amp up their communication game. You can start by showing off your people interaction skills to answer this customer service interview question.

This can be a rewarding job for those who love to work as a part of the customer service team. So, if you can work under pressure with patience and have good communication skills - this job is for you. You can answer the question by saying-

“My interpersonal skills, desire to help others and problem-solving skills encourage me to work as a customer service representative. Also, these skills make me a good candidate for the job role.”

This is a frequently asked Customer Service interview question.

Customer service is a job where you must be expressive and understand what the customer is looking for. So, here the interviewer wants to check how well you can describe yourself. Tell them the positive sides of yours. Point out skills and traits that describe you the best. Also, always remember to narrate the entire thing. But do not be forthcoming about what your college mate would describe you.

This is the most common customer service interview question where the interviewer wants to test your soft skills. So, avoid lying or creating a fake personality about yourself and always keep your description professional.

“My roommates describe me as creative, passionate, a dreamer, and a person who stays positive even when the world is tearing apart.”

Behind every successful brand, there is a team of excellent customer service which helps the customers with all their might. Your answer to this question will allow them to assess your industry knowledge. Hence, deciding your job role. Tell them your personal experience about how you bought a product from an XYZ brand because their customer service was at par. Also, if the customer service is great, the customer might come back again and purchase the service from you. Thus, giving you business.

This also increases the chance of word-of-mouth advertisement, where the customer will talk about your brand to others who will visit your website or business address and purchase the service. This cycle will continue if good customer service is consistently put in the effort and ultimately adds value to the brand.

Customer service and support might seem the same, but it's not. This question allows the interviewer to assess you on the basis of knowledge of customer service representative jobs. This gives the impression that you are pretty aware of service vs. support.

Here you can answer by pointing out the difference between the two -

“Customer service is keeping your customer happy, whereas customer support has more technical knowledge. Also, customer service acts as a frontline in a business. If the issue is technical, then the process of resolving a customer's problem will also include customer support.”

The customer service job is not a nine-to-five job. This job would require flexibility, and the interviewer will ask you this question to assess how flexible you are with your timings. The more flexible you are, the more chances you have to get hired.

Say yes, if you are okay working a rotational shift and on your weekends, and if not, back it up with a valid reason. They might consider that at times.

If you cannot work on weekends or 24*7 shifts, you can tell them you do not have a problem working on weekends, but you have recently enrolled in a management program that would require your attention on weekends. However, you can work on weekdays.

This question is a regular feature in interviews for call centers, be ready to tackle it. 

Here, the interviewer does not want to know your backstory. They are looking for skills that involve handling pressure and won’t break down, even when criticized for something that is not your fault. Customer service is a job where a customer might call and make you the target of their heightened frustration. This can occur when a service they purchased is not that great (according to them). Though this won’t be a daily occurrence. However, you need to understand it’s not personal.

Here, you need to showcase your interpersonal skills and confidence that allows you to provide the best customer service along with taking in your stride. Tell them how you can understand the situation by putting yourself in another person’s shoes. Also, do not forget to demonstrate your other skills, such as:

• Resilience 
• Self-awareness 
• A positive mindset 

Remember, every job is challenging, but it always comes with a reward.

“I listen to the people giving me feedback and think how and what I can improve. I don't take things personally, but take it in a way that can add value to my career and my work. This is because of resilience and a positive mindset.”

Here the interviewer will assess you on the basis of how well you can handle negative feedback, and what you can do to improve it. Show them you can handle feedback by acknowledging and further investigating on how to improve them. It also creates a good rapport between the customer and the company. The customer will also feel good thinking that their feedback matters. Hence, that would be a wow factor for them and chances are they might become your loyal customers.

You can start by saying -

“I will first apologize to the customer because of the issue he might be facing due to the bad service provided and then, try your best to resolve the issue.” You can also add - “Once the issue is resolved, I would thank them for pointing out the flaws which help to improve and modify any further flaws in the service.”

An organization uses several mediums to connect with customers - email, chatbot, phone support, in-person, etc. However, nowadays, social media is also getting hyped with customer queries and feedback. This customer service interview question will help the interviewer what knowledge you possess of a particular medium. Always keep in mind the position you have applied for. If you have applied for phone support, telling them that you prefer to chat or email would be a red flag.

Be on the point and tell them how comfortable you are while communicating over the phone. Talking over the phone lets you understand the customer’s problem and help you pick different tones while communicating - which is missing in email or chat-based communication. Tell them how in distress, a person wants to communicate with a real person, not a machine. So, voice-based communication also helps in building rapport with the customer.

This customer service interview question will help the interviewer to understand your career goals. Every organization wants an ambitious candidate with high career goals on its team. This is because ambitious employees care about their accomplishments and achievements, making them work hard and smart. This motivates other team members, as they all want to achieve the set target, ultimately resulting in higher output.

Keep these things in mind before answering the question. You can also tell them your expected growth if you join the company - like, you would love to work as a manager in the company or lead a team. This is because every company wants employees who stay and grow with them.

“I see myself working as a team leader or a manager in this organization, as I have read the testimonials that this organization offers vast opportunity for growth.”

It's no surprise that this one pops up often in interviews for call centers.

 By this question, the interviewer wants to know if you are aware of the job role. You can have enough information to answer the question if you have read the job description thoroughly. Every employer likes the candidate who has gone through their job role before attending the interview. The primary reason that they might ask you this information is to assess if you are happy to carry on these works. 

To answer this, you can also add the following points apart from your job description: 

• Answer service related question 
• Resolve customer’s queries (whatever process you are being hired for) 
• Provide customers with more information on the service. 
• Guide customer on how to use the service or product (if necessary) 

The most important thing you should remember is - customer service is not only about a smile on your face and a polite tone. Excellent customer service should always mean actively seeking opportunities to deliver par-excellence service to your customer. This means active listening, empathizing with your customers, and providing proper resolutions.

The interviewer wants to ensure you have enough soft skills to handle a heightened customer. Do not include a personal story here. Keep the following in mind to answer this question:

• Show your friendly approach 
• Listen actively and then respond 
• Show them you can deliver on time 

Keep your answer brief but ensure it has the punch which makes you stand out in the crowd.  

This is a situational question, so you can use a real-life example. This question is asked to assess your responsibility toward your work. You can tell them how you were being harassed as the front desk was giving you the next date every time you visited them. When you asked about the status, they replied in a very harsh tone, making you feel bad and think of discontinuing the service. However, just a few desks away, a gentleman was observing you and his colleague, and he asked you to tell him the problem, which was resolved the same day. 

Once you are done with the story, tell the interviewer that - This situation has changed your perspective, and if you see your co-worker replying rudely to a distressed customer, you will take the stand and resolve his issues. Also, you will explain the importance of talking politely to the customer. If this behavior continues, you’ll take the matter to your supervisor to ensure this does not happen again. 

“If I see any of my co-workers talking rudely to the customer, I will make them understand, and even if the same continues, I will take the matter to my immediate seniors since this kind of behaviour might adversely affect the organization.” 

This is the most frequently asked of all the customer service interview questions.

This is asked to check how attentive you were in the entire process and how interested you are in the given job role. Many people are not aware of what they should ask the interviewer. Hence, it is essential to keep a checklist of the question beforehand. Here are some questions you must and must not ask: 

The customer service interview questions to ask employer are: 

• “What is a typical day at work in the organization like?” 
• “Will there be any training for the job?” 
• “What is the overall success of a person working in this organization?” 
• “What is your description of an ideal employee?” 
• “What motivates people to stay in the company?” 
• “What are the challenges faced in this job role?” 
• “How is the employees' performance evaluated?” 
• “What are your expectations from me if I get selected?” 
• “What is your favorite thing about working here?” 

Questions you shouldn't ask: 

• “What is your salary? 
• “What do you think about the current political situation of India?” 
• “Do you take bribes to place a candidate?” 

This question helps the interviewer assess how you think of your previous job - that tells all about your perspective and personality. So, here you need to stick to the positive points even if things didn’t work out as planned, or your role in the previous was short-termed. But the good part is - your last job must have added something to your experience.

But lying to the interviewer about the reason for leaving your last job would be a wrong impression. So, tell them why you left your previous job and add all the positive aspects of the job role - what you’ve learned there. Tell them you are looking for further great opportunities.

“I was in Jaipur when I first started working as a CSR. However, I had to return to my hometown due to some family problems. Though my tenure was too short in the company, the things I have learnt have added to my value and made me a better employee.”

By asking this question, the interview can determine if you can help with any problematic situation and not just steal yourself away from the problem. A solid response will inclue unambiguous identification of a problem, a course of action, and a solution.

You can answer the question in the following order:

“When I was initially given the senior customer service representative  position, I had trouble getting my group to meet their call goals by Friday. To find out how they inspired their teams through the Friday grind, I sought the counsel of more seasoned team leaders. Following the advice of the other team leaders, I effectively increased my team's sales numbers over the following several weeks by using a variety of incentives.”

Your interviewer does not want to know if you go to work because you have bills to pay, and saying this in an interview would be the silliest thing you have ever said. This question allows you to talk about why you are attracted to this job. Also, you can talk about the things that inspire you to persevere through the odd times.

Customer service representative jobs are about meeting targets and helping people who face problems after purchasing the service. You can also tell them - that happiness and satisfaction drive you to work as a customer service representative. Here’s how you can organize your answer to this tricky open ended customer service question -

“I like challenging myself which helps me advance my skills to boost up my career. This is what attracts me to this job. It is challenging on a personal level, which forces me to come up with ideas to help the customers while maintaining the company ethics.’

This is a frequently asked question in CSR interviews and tests your temperament towards the job.

Your ability to recognize and analyze consumer insight, trends, and data will be put to test in this question, which is designed to help you drive constant improvement by locating and comprehending the underlying cause.

Here, the interviewer is looking for an example of how you used the knowledge to build, execute, and enhance your customer service process. To guarantee that the root of any future complaints is eliminated, this might be done by implementing training, a change in call handling process, improving the verbatims, or other process enhancements.

Answer this question about your work. Hopefully, there are a few aspects of your career so far that you are most proud of. It can be anything, and tell them accordingly. 

• Were they process, people, or commercial-oriented? 
• What were the reasons and results? 
• What was enhanced, preserved, or created? How were you involved? 

You can also tell them about your personal achievement while working in the last company. You can share your learnings - as it is also an achievement for some. Tell them - 

“During my last job, I have earnt some interpersonal skills which have improved how I communicate. It has also helped me work efficiently without any hindrance. Also, I can now manage a team in the absence of my manager.” 

It will be easier to set duties and expectations if the interviewer is aware of your personality type, as everyone has their own designated set of rules while working. Some prefer a structured way of working and want to have most things planned out in advance. In contrast, some may prefer more freedom, flexibility, or creative control over their tasks. Hence, this question is asked to understand what drives you to work efficiently.

This question lets the interviewer discover your motivations and how you would respond in customer service scenarios. It also reveals whether or not you are interested in working for the business, which might eventually affect how well you perform.

One of the most frequently posed Customer Service representative interview questions, be ready for it.  

An experienced candidate, you should know certain customer service tools. Some of the tools are: 

• Live chat solution that allows you to chat with multiple customers 
• Social media platforms 
• CRM (Customer Relationship Management Tools) to check the previous cases of the customer. 
• Emails 

This gives the impression that you know what you are doing, and if given a tool, you can work around it. You can start by saying - 

“In my previous company, we used to work on Zendesk to store the customer’s previous queries, and for chat support, we used Ava. Also, to take calls, the company had its own Avaya.” 

Not everyone dreams to stay in customer service, taking calls, and handling abusive customers. Some want more - to be a manager. This requires interpersonal skills, and working as a customer service representative can help you achieve your goal of being a manager. You do not have to lie - all you need to tell them is where this job role fits your long-term career goals. 

Out of all the customer service interview questions, this might be the critical one to answer. So, here’s how you can curate your answer with an impression of how important this job is for your future goals. 

“I dream of leading a team of professionals aiming to change the world in smart and innovative ways. With proper hard work and smart work combined, I might be able to get into the managerial position."

This is a behavioral question asked to an experienced individual. The best way to answer a behavioral question is - 

• S (Situation) 
• T (Task at hand) 
• A (Action taken) 
• R (Result) 

Here’s an example of how you can say it - 

“Once I was ready to wrap my day and was going to log off. Suddenly, I heard a ring on my telephone. I answered, and the customer was upset about his booked taxi. It never arrived. He was standing on the pavement. I quickly called the cab driver. Unfortunately, he didn’t answer. So, I politely apologized for the inconvenience caused to him and asked him to book a new one, and I have initiated the refund from my end."

Also, always keep your story true, clear, and concise. Do not use unnecessary and redundant words.

This, again, is a behavioral question to assess your capability to work under duress. The interviewer here is interested in something other than knowing exactly what they have mentioned in the job description, as a customer service job is more than just a script. This question helps the interviewer to check if you can help the customer by going above and beyond the basic script. You can always tell them about your previous customer service experience - as these are quite common in this industry. They want to know how creative you can get. You can say - 

“Once I got a call from one of the customers who sounded as if they were in a tragedy. They have booked a hotel room, and the hotel says they don’t have the booking with them. I called the hotel, and they said the same thing. I asked them if they could allot the room, but they were full. So, I called another hotel, which was again packed, and some charged way too much than the original booking amount. So, I got on at a hotel that agreed to accommodate the customers. And we refunded the customer for their last booking. The entire process took around 1 hour and 25 minutes. “ 

It's no surprise that this one pops up often in Customer support interviews.

This question helps to assess and measure your communication skills and the ability to rectify if something goes wrong. Here the interviewer is looking for an answer that shows your problem-solving skills if the first attempt to solve the problem does not go as planned. You can share your story of how you communicated something to the customer, and they miscommunicated, after which they were quite upset. Here’s how to tell the story - 

“Once a customer was making a hotel booking, and he called to know if there was any coupon code he could apply to get more discount. Upon checking, I came up with a coupon of up to 40% discount and conveyed the same to the customer. He misunderstood my message and thought it would give him a flat 40% discount. He called again and complained about not getting a 40% discount on the price. I realized that he did not understand it. So, I informed him clearly and thoroughly again.” 

This question is a regular feature in Customer Service representative interview questions, be ready to tackle it.  

This is the commonly asked question in customer service representative jobs. The interviewer knows everybody makes mistakes, but they need to know if you are accountable for your mistakes and how you can rectify them. 

Here, you can talk about a situation where you made a mistake while communicating with a team member rather than a customer. This eliminates the risk of casting doubts on your work. 

Here’s how you can answer the question- 

“In my last job, there was an announcement for a meeting, which I misunderstood as a team meeting, but actually, it was a client meeting. I came to know the same at the very last minute. I quickly reviewed my brief, gathering all the required information on my laptop. Here I learned the lesson to double check if I have heard the right thing.” 

Explain the entire situation - what was the issue, the customer’s expectations, and what went wrong. Also, how did you and your team resolve that? This is tricky and sensitive, but it will say all about your previous work experience. You can curate your answer by - 

 “There was a customer who booked a holiday package that included flight, hotel, and other activities such as snorkeling, paragliding, etc. The sales team made the booking, but it had errors - it didn’t have cruising, as it was also a part of the package. There was a miscommunication between the pre-sales person and the customer, resulting in a blunder. We tried including cruise ship activity in the same package, which wasn’t possible. So, lastly, we offered him a discount coupon as an apology. He accepted it but wasn’t happy about the service.” 

Customer service also involves the job role of guiding a customer to a new service. This is to ensure you are efficient at guiding people over the call at the same time also emphasizes your interpersonal skills - because not every customer purchasing the product would be highly educated. 

You can answer the question by - 

“On Twitter, you can share your thoughts and see what others share. You must create an account using your email ID or phone number, which will be protected using a password. Once done, you can customize your profile by adding your bio, profile picture, etc. Here, you can tweet, which has certain character limits. You can also engage with others by commenting, liking, or retweeting their posts. Also, this platform has the highest hashtag usage, making a post viral and trending.” 

As we know, the first impression is the last. In this industry, your first call with the customer will determine if the customer will retain or churn. Talking to an old customer is easy while talking to a new one can be challenging for some. Here, the interviewer wants to know how well you handle the first call. Here’s how to answer this question. This also helps determine if you have good listening skills.

“During my first call with the customer, I always aligned myself with their goals and expectations and understood their problem. I also ensure I have the right tools handy to help them out. I assure them I am always available  to help them, which helps build a good rapport between the customer and me at the first call itself .”

The interviewer asks this question not because they will reject you but wants to know how you react to certain naysayers. This question is asked to check how motivated you are with the job and how adaptable you could be. You can answer this by saying -

“I take failure as a lesson to do better in the future. I learn and try to fix my mistakes. In my previous job, I faced a similar situation, and I went to my colleagues and team members to take feedback from them. Though I am a team leader, in my opinion there are still so many things I need to learn.”

The interviewer asks this question to check how you were evaluated in the past job and what metrics you are familiar with. This will determine your views on team success and individual success, as every organization wants a highly motivated CSM who believes in team success and takes credit as a team.

“In my last job, I measured success by not only analyzing customer feedback but also the measures my team members took to resolve particular problems. I also reviewed the call and chat records to see how well my team members handled the query. Additionally, I also measure my success by tracking how many calls I handle in a day and how many cases I close in a day.”

Expect to come across this popular question in Customer Service job interviews.

If you are getting hired for a managerial position, you are expected to bring about some positive change in the work culture by leading and ensuring your team does better. This question gives the interviewer a clear idea that you are a good leader. For this, you must check the company’s website and see what they do - this can be checked in the client or the customer testimonial section. You must also show apart from bringing change in the working process, the need for employee satisfaction also matters to you.

“I would love to add diversity and programs for employee benefits which would motivate them to work better - such as incentives in terms of reward points or shopping vouchers. This will make everyone feel more appreciated. Also, I would introduce rewards for our loyal and consistent customers, leading to more and better customer retention.”

As this might already be clear to you that not all customers can take the bad news. Some will get upset and threaten to escalate the matter to social media or elsewhere. They might have escalated the case if they haven't threatened you yet. These situations demand a CSM (Customer Service Manager). Here the interviewer's goal is to determine if you possess the skills to de-escalate the matter. You can answer the question by saying -

"Once I start aligning myself with the customer and showing that I genuinely care and am sorry about the situation - the friction between the customer and me is lessened. Then, I summarize their problem and let them know that I completely understand their situation and will come up with a potential solution. Once the situation is resolved, I always follow up with the customer to check if everything is okay on their end. If the customer has faced a huge loss, we might also compensate them with some reward points (if the company agrees). "

A must-know for anyone heading into an interview, this is one of the most frequently asked CSR interview questions.

This is an important question that determines the time management capability of a customer service manager. For a CSM job, you must be adaptive and capable of bending in with the process. Also, as a CSM, you must possess the ability to complete your work on time and keep your priorities on top. No organization wants to hire someone who is lethargic and does not know to manage time which can hamper the project. Here’s how you can answer the question -

“First, I would list all my work a day before and see what I need to deliver on priority. Once that is determined, I would take easy and simple steps to complete the work and deliver it by the end of the day. If any of my team members face any difficulties during call handling, I would help them with it since being a manager it’s my priority too to help my team, and  provide them with the solution.”

It is not humanly possible to resolve every issue that a customer brings up, and the interviewer knows that. They do not ask this question to judge you. Instead, they are looking for an answer that involves all the things you could do to help the customer and if you can take such responsibility where you might lose a customer and have to answer to the authorities. Among all other customer service interview questions, this one is bit  tricky and requires delicate handling. The best way to answer the question is to take responsibility for what happened and what lessons you learned from it. 

“One of my decisions in customer handling backfired and resulted in the loss of the customer. Then my manager and I sat down to discuss, figured out where I was wrong and took necessary measures to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”  

Your team will trust and respect you if you treat them justly, address all their issues, and help them with their work. In return, they will complete the work assigned on time and rarely question your judgment. To answer this, take reference from the previous work and curate the answer in the following way: 

“The following measures identify my team’s trust; 

• They communicate with me without hesitation 
• We maintain transparency in the environment 
• I prefer to keep a one-on-one meeting with every member of my team 
• We organize our activities 
• We encourage collaboration 

Apart from this, honesty and openness are equally important.” 

As the saying goes - “The past behavior can affect the future performance,” it is essential to decide the candidacy for the position you have applied for. Go through the job description, and prepare accordingly. Double-check your preparation, as this is a competency-based interview question. 

Do not use any harsh words against them. Tell the interviewer why they were not a good fit for the job and how you have tried helping them - by training and re-evaluating their skills. Also, Include if there were any visible improvements. Tell them - 

“I evaluate the performance of all my team members. If I see anyone whose performance is not up to expectations, I prefer having them undergo employee training sessions, where they are trained again. After evaluating their skills, we decide if we should continue with them.”

Some Customer Service job interview questions can be as daunting as this, it's no surprise that this one often pops up during interviews.

While answering this question, ensure you provide a helpful and beneficial example, or it might ruin your impression. Nothing is done without any reason. Hence, this question is asked to assess you based on your temperament and how well you do if your team makes a mistake. Tell them -

“There are many instances in my career when a team member has done something drastic, for which I have talked to them but never criticized them. Instead, I prefer talking them through and asking if they lack anything. If necessary, I send them for re-evaluation for their betterment.”

Please talk about your experience and tell them how you overcame those with your team. Keep it minimal, and it is better if you do not involve customers in this - this might create a wrong impression of your managerial skills. Tell them meeting new people is scary for you but in a nice way, and not that you are scared of it. Build your answer around this, among it more interactive and exciting. Hence, be a good storyteller.

“When I joined the last company as a manager, there were many new faces, each with a unique personality. Communicating with new people gives me butterflies as I am not aware of their traits and characteristics. Knowing everybody takes time. But things are in place within a very short time.”

Every organization wants a manager that possesses excellent skills. This is the best way to showcase your skills and ace the interview. Start by saying what makes a manager good - team collaboration, addressing their problem, transparency, etc. Here’s what you can say -

“A manager must possess the following skills:

• Technical skills to make informed decisions and solve problems efficiently.
• Conceptual skills to think outside the box. As customer service is beyond the script, managers must possess creative ideas, vision, and strategies.
• Interpersonal skills, which make them great leaders. This includes building relationships, managing teamwork, and providing feedback.”

A common question in Customer Service interview questions, don't miss this one.  

Apart from the salary, the interviewer would want to know what made you apply for the job in the organization. To answer this, you need to research the company’s background. This will help you demonstrate your answer efficiently. Also, talk about their product and services. Try matching some of your work experience with the position you have applied for.

Here’s how you can answer the question -

“I think I can use my skills better in this company. With new people and minds, it will be exciting for me to manage them and create a team of efficient employees. Also, as checked, your service is the best in the market, and working with such a reputed company would be great.”

The best way to answer this question is to list all the desired changes you want to make in your team. This ensures you do not fumble and stumble on your words. Here is how you can answer the question:

• “As a few of my team members were late to work, which impacted the work, I changed the login conditions by introducing timely login incentives. Hence, it improved the login time.”
• “There were a few people who used to miss the calls and sometimes used break aux and stayed on it for longer. Announcing a reward for the highest number of calls attended improved the work balance effectively.”

Say yes, if you have ever done that. This is quite a common situation if you are working in a customer service job. The interviewer ensures that you thoroughly research before jumping to a conclusion. You can answer the question by saying -

“A customer called who has recently checked into a hotel. Upon entering the room, he found the AC, kettle, balcony, etc., were missing. He was disheartened and said these amenities were listed on the website, but the hotel denied them. Upon checking, it was confirmed that the customer was right. It was an error from the hotel’s end, as they didn’t update their amenities. Hence, we offered a voucher for future use. As a result we were able to retain a customet.”

One of the most frequently posed interview questions for call center, be ready for it.  

This is a very common issue that arises in this industry. This is to determine if you are an active listener, and patient, and can deal with confused customers. Always repeat after the customer about their need, so ensure you are getting exactly what they are looking for. You can answer the question by saying-

“No, I always try to follow the customer and guide them if they are confused. I put options for them to ensure they get exactly what they want. I ask them follow-up questions to ensure I listen to their queries and requests.”

A staple in Customer Service job interview questions, be prepared to answer this one.  

This answer will help the interviewer assess your problem-solving skills and patience. This question will answer the question - "Is the customer always right?" and it is your responsibility to assist clients in getting out of a bad situation may be helpful. You can outline the measures you took to help a client get calmer by demonstrating compassion, empathy, patience, etc.

Use an example of when you successfully won the customer over, and they were able to express their gratitude for your efforts.

"A team member received a call where the customer checked into a hotel, and the room was shabby and unorganized. There were damps on the wall and many more issues. They wanted a new hotel and wanted to check out right away. As the hotel wasn't ready to refund, it seemed impossible. This made the guest quite furious, and the call was routed to me. I apologized to them for such service and called the reservation team. I asked if they had a better room. They said they have a vacant room, but the charges are quite high. As a goodwill gesture, I asked them to shift the guest to that room, and the payment was released from our end."

Customer service jobs can be very demanding, especially if you are in a managerial position. Through this question, the interviewer will determine if you can go beyond your deadline to complete the project (if needed). However, you must exercise caution while responding since it is simple to fall into the trap of criticizing your previous workplace or coming off as disorganized. Your interviewer doesn't want to know whether your previous job didn't provide you with the needed resources or that you previously worked all night to make a deadline for school.

The best answer will be if you revolve around the busiest days in your work. Tell them about your experience of how long you had to stay at the office to complete the client sheet during peak time. You can answer the question by saying -

“As a customer service team lead, I was assigned urgent deliverables. So, I planned on staying in the office after work hours and completing the work. Also, I stayed back at the office and even worked on week offs whenever the work demanded.”

Every organization has its own set of rules and guidelines while providing a solution to a customer. However, there is a thing to help customers by going far and beyond. But, you must understand there is always a limitation to certain things - which also implies in customer service jobs. Even as a manager, you cannot go beyond the rules. The customer might get irritated and demand the impossible - you must make him understand by offering other alternatives. Tell them you truly understand their situation and would love to help them. However, what they are demanding is beyond the company policy. However, you can offer them some other alternatives. Many customers accept, whereas some do not want any.

These open-ended customer service interview questions are quite tricky. So, it is hard to answer. Some might give a very redundant answer - which is often forgettable. The goal is to leave a good impression about yourself.

Everything about you is interesting - it can be your hobby, or a new dish you learnt to cook. You can also tell the solo trip you made. Also be genuine This gives the interviewer an impression that you are confident and won’t hesitate to try on new work. You can start by saying -

“I traveled to Andaman solo for the first time ever - I was a bit scared at first but then the fear went away as soon as I boarded the flight. Upon reaching the location, I did a lot of things which I never dreamt of doing. I overcame my fear of water and learnt scuba diving, explored several amazing marine creatures, and went snorkeling as well.”

This shows how something so small has changed you, and how well you can adapt to change.